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Big Finish Audio Dramas
In 2004, Big Finish Productions were granted a licence by Dan Curtis Productions to make original audio drama productions based on the 1966-1971 television series. Full Cast The first full-cast audio dramas were set near the beginning of the 1980s (ten years after the end of the original series and twenty years before the MPI audio drama Return to Collinwood). David Selby, Lara Parker, John Karlen and Kathryn Leigh Scott reprised their roles from the television series with Andrew Collins cast as Barnabas Collins. Additional cast members from televised episodes included: Nancy Barrett, Robert Rodan, Jerry Lacy, Lysette Anthony, Alec Newman, James Storm and Marie Wallace. The second series also featured David Warner as the main antagonist. The first two series of full cast audio dramas were produced by Stuart Manning. The storylines and new characters introduced in these dramas continued on in the 2015 full-cast miniseries Bloodlust, produced by David Darlington and Joseph Lidster. In June 2016, Big Finish celebrated the 50th anniversary with Blood & Fire, a double-disc release which featured actors from across all 1,225 episodes of the original series and from throughout ten years of Big Finish audio dramas. The story went on to win a Scribe Award. Dramatic Readings The general ambition of the Dramatic Readings is to tell stories using at least one character that appeared in the original 1966-1971 daytime series. A typical release in the range uses just two actors, a musical score and, foley work and sound design, making the end result sit somewhere between an audio book and a full-cast drama. All the plays add to the main characters' televised continuities. In general, the Dramatic Readings have a fairly standard format. They usually comprise one 60 minute episode, with the emphasis of the story being on the interaction between whichever two actors of that feature. Earlier releases in the range often would have one of the actors perform any other characters that appear. For example, in Echoes of Insanity, John Karlen also provides the voice for Dr. Julia Hoffman as Willie Loomis recalls a particular encounter with that character. As the series has developed there has been a tendency for every character that appears to be voiced by a separate actor. This ranges from three actors appearing in Dress Me In Dark Dreams to Beyond the Grave which features twenty-one. Another example would be The House by the Sea, which contrives a reason why other characters are being imitated, as events are being dictated by the character featured, for the purposes of an audio recording. Each play can be listened to as self-contained story whilst also linking into the continuity of the TV series. For example, the Leviathan mythos, which featured in televised episodes, is further explored in Curse of the Pharaoh and The Crimson Pearl. Occasionally plot threads between plays link into each other. The events of The Skin Walkers are referred to in Operation Victor. Some plays form loose story arcs. The ongoing story of the Trask family links The Wicked and the Dead, The Carrion Queen, The Poisoned Soul and The Fall of the House of Trask together. Other plays expand upon the known fates of their principal characters. For instance, Josette Collins’ life after her death in 1795 is told across Final Judgement and The Lost Girl. A developing alliance between Tony Peterson and Cassandra Collins features in The Death Mask, The Voodoo Amulet and The Phantom Bride. Release 1 to 14 are produced by Stuart Manning, 15 to 32 are produced by James Goss & Joseph Lidster, 33 and onwards are produced by Joseph Lidster & David Darlington. The following is a complete table of all the plays released to date, the featuring column notes appearance of original series characters: Miniseries Bloodlust Bloodlust was 13-part serial that saw Collinsport ripped apart by a brutal murder. The series starred original Dark Shadows actors Jerry Lacy, Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott, David Selby and Marie Wallace alongside Lachele Carl, Scott Haran, Alec Newman and Matthew Waterhouse. The series was produced by Joseph Lidster & David Darlington and resolved the cliffhanger ending of Kingdom of the Dead. Bloodline A second 13-part serial, which began its release in April 2019, follows on from the events of Bloodlust and the Dramatic Readings released in 2015. Written by Alan Flanagan, Will Howells, Aaron Lamont and Rob Morris, it will see a new mystery unfold as family and friends gather at the Collinwood estate for the wedding of David Collins and Amy Jennings. The release date had been pushed back from autumn 2016 to spring of 2019 due to the availability of the actors and rewrites. Windciff A third 13-part serial is planned for release in April 2020. Written by Aaron Lamont, Rob Morris, Penelope Faith and Paul Phipps-Williams, it will center around Collinsport’s local sanitarium. Thirteen A fourth 13-part serial is planned for release in April 2021. This serial will take place in real-time. Short Story Collections From June 2016, Big Finish Productions began releasing a series of short story collections set at various points throughout the original series' continuity. Echoes of the Past ''Haunting Memories'' Phantom Melodies ''Dreams of Long Ago'' ''Love Lives On'' ''Shadows of the Night'' The Tony & Cassandra Mysteries From 2017, Big Finish Productions began releasing a spin-off series titled The Tony & Cassandra Mysteries as four disc box-sets. The stories are set inbetween the dramatic readings The Last Stop and The Phantom Bride, with Jerry Lacy and Lara Parker reprising their characters. Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Maggie & Quentin: The Lovers' Refrain In June 2018, Big Finish Productions released a spin-off series titled Maggie & Quentin: The Lovers' Refrain as a four disc box-set. The stories take place after the MPI audio drama Return to Collinwood, with David Selby and Kathryn Leigh Scott reprising their characters. Special Releases Podcasts See also * Big Finish Audio Dramas, Characters A-Z: An index of every character to feature or be referenced. * Chronology (audio dramas): A timeline covering the continuity of the original televised series incorporating the Big Finish audio dramas. * Vortex: A monthly magazine published by Big Finish. External links * Big Finish Dark Shadows Store Category:Big Finish Audio Dramas